The Process of Healing
by DisneyKd4
Summary: Everyone told them how hard war was going to be, no sugarcoating it. But no one told them about the nightmares that came after. No one told them of the pain you feel after the dust has settled and the dead are buried. Everyone in the Wizarding world is in pain, and they are invited to Hogwarts by the Ministry to begin the process of healing. But not everyone is ready for that.


Hogwarts had been cleaned and was inviting the war victims back to it for a memorial, the first of many to come. Everyone that had been in the battle that wasn't deceased or in Azkaban was invited, the battle that people were calling The Battle of Hogwarts. Everyone was coming, whether they truly wanted to or not. They came to remember those they lost. They came to start the healing process they had been postponing. They came to ask for forgiveness. They came to be together. The memorial invitation had written out the schedule for the night, it consisted of a welcoming speech from Headmistress McGonagall, dinner, a speech from the recently elected Minster of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and a speech from the Golden Trio. What Hermione Granger couldn't understand was why no one had told her, Harry, and Ron that they would be giving a speech. It was the first time the Wizarding Community had dared ask anything of the three war heroes; besides reporters staying outside the Burrow and Hermione's home requesting interviews, no one had dared interrupt the mourning of the Golden Trio, giving them the space they deserved. With reporters following them everywhere they went, Hermione, Ron, and Harry took refuge in Number 12 and hadn't gone into public eye in a month, only allowing members of the Order and the DA to visit them, but even they hadn't been able to come and see the three of them until two weeks after the war.

The thing was, no one could help Hermione, Ron, or Harry in the healing process except, Harry, Ron, or Hermione. No one understood what they had gone through, the information had been released of what they had done and praise had been given, but no one understood the toll it took on three seventeen year olds to go into hiding on a search for the darkest type of magical object known, and then for them to fight and destroy the most powerful wizard since Gellert Grindelwald. The three of them had done it all with no personal gain, no want of fame or fortune, and with the reward of loosing loved ones; that's why everyone let them heal the way they saw fit, they let them stay huddled together in the Order's Headquarters, supporting each other the best they could. When the three of them finally left their safe heaven for the first time to go back to Hogwarts, they left behind the mourning and tried to take the step towards healing.

Kreacher had gotten Hermione a dress from Diagon Alley, and suits for Ron and Harry from Hogsmeade like they had asked him to. He was the only one that witnessed everything that transpired in that home, the mourning, screaming, supporting, and all; but he had been ordered never to share the information with anyone, no one needed to know how dark the Golden Trio got after the Battle of Hogwarts.

On the day of the memorial, Ron was the first to wake up like all of the past few weeks, he had the shortest nightmare out of the three of them so it had become his job to support Hermione and Harry when they woke up from their nightmares. So he went to work, turning in the king size bed to wake Hermione up before Dream made Bellatrix brought forth Dream Harry and Dream Ron to torture them instead of her. When he finally had woken her up, she came up gasping for air and tears brimming her eyes, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck like she did every morning and let him hold her till she calmed down. Once she calmed down, they both worked to wake Harry up who, once in a nightmare, took a lot of work to wake up. Instead of crying or gasping like Hermione did, Harry just starts to shake uncontrollably, going into a panic attack while Hermione and Ron hold on to him tightly to calm him down.

"Good morning, Harry," Hermione whispered when he stops shaking and her tears dry.

"Do you want to talk about it, mate?" Ron asked. Over the past month he had grown more capable of handling emotions, his own and his friends.

"It was the same one as last night's," Harry said, Ron and Hermione nodded in understanding. Harry had three reoccurring nightmares, his most frequent, the one he had that night, was that he was able to kill Voldemort, but not before everyone else died. His other one was his fear of what would have happened if he had died like he had planned, and the last, the one the three of them shared in the first week, was that Voldemort hadn't died. But he had, and now they had to get ready for the memorial at 4.

Kreacher cooked all their meals, cleaned up after them, and in the beginning made them get out of bed. He knew what they had done during the war, had been with them while they were hiding from Death Eaters, and now he was with them when they were hiding from the memories. Though he loved serving them because they were his most grateful masters, he was very happy that they were going out into society willingly for the first time in almost a year.

The three of them got out of their bed, and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. They didn't start sharing a room until after the first two nights when they each woke up alone, screaming, and panicking. They found that sleeping together made the nightmares not so realistic and they calmed down faster. After those first few days, they found that doing anything together made it easier.

"Who do you think will be there tonight?" Ron asked to make conversation over breakfast. Hermione shrugs, but it comes out as more of a shudder. Harry doesn't look up from his oatmeal as he replied, "Everyone," causing Hermione to shudder again. Harry and Ron look up at her, but she just shakes her head. She promised she would go with them, even if that was only because she didn't want to be left alone, she still would go and once she got there she would do as expected of her. As long as Harry and Ron stayed with her.

They took her hand and gave it a squeeze before going back to finishing their breakfast. They had no special preparation for tonight planned, they didn't have to be there until 4 and weren't planning on getting ready until 3, all they had to do was wait. Everyone had to wait till 4, and waiting from morning to afternoon is a long time to wait, for the war heroes and supposed war villains such as Draco Malfoy.

Draco had spent the past month inside also, getting over the terrors the war left behind alone in his mansion except for his house elves and liquor. He had resisted the temptation to drink for the first day, but the first night he spent in his manor alone was the last he went to bed sober. Each night he woke to screams echoing through the manor, they kept him awake and in such a deep state of self hate that the only cure was liquor. Many glasses of liquor. In the beginning, he wouldn't leave the manor because he was ashamed of what he had become, despite his name, despite his riches, despite his blood, and despite being let free, he had become weak and a drunk. Then as the days turned to weeks, he wouldn't leave the manor because he couldn't. He was constantly drunk, he was almost never aware of who he was or where he was, and when he started becoming aware, he just took another drink to get rid of it. The day of the memorial was the first day he had been sober, and it wasn't by choice.

Two days prior, he received the invitation and the guest that had brought it, Blaise Zabini. Blaise hadn't been as involved in the war as Draco, but his family had chosen a side and had given it's resources to that side, though they never took the mark like the Malfoy family did. All of Blaise's family had been allowed to go free after the war, while Draco's father was rotting in a cell in Azkaban and his mother was living out the rest of her life in a house in the Bahamas to get away from the society she use to thrive in. Draco was left to do as he pleased, having been forced to join the war at such a young age, no one held him accountable for the things he was forced to do except himself.

Blaise had come to deliver the invitation to Draco himself, wanting to check up on his friend after not hearing from him since the Battle of Hogwarts. When he showed up at the front door and was greeted by a smelly, very drunk Draco Malfoy, he did what he thought he needed to do. He got rid of all of Draco's liquor, even the ones he knew Lucius had been saving for years in his old study and the hidden stash Draco and him shared throughout their years at Hogwarts, all of it vanished. Thankfully, Blaise had stunned Draco before doing this because Draco was ready to murder Blaise when he realized what he was doing. Before releasing Draco, he ordered the house elves to not allow Draco to ever drink another glass of any type of liquor and to not allow liquor in the house, the elves agreed immediately thinking collectively that their master was more agreeable when he wasn't drunk.

Blaise had restricted Draco to his room as they waited for the liquor to leave his system. Within the first hour of being held captive in his own house, Draco had trashed everything in his bedroom, put it back together, and then trashed it again. He refused to eat or drink anything and had tried to escape through his window in his drunken state, but had forgotten he was on the top floor until after he was out on his balcony. It took a whole day for Draco to become completely sober, and when he woke up the morning of the Memorial, the sunlight streaming through his window and the whistling of his friend outside the door caused the biggest headache he had ever experienced.

With his head thumping loudly with each step he took, Draco grabbed the doorknob of the door before remembering he was being held captive, when he moved to pull away his hand, the door came with it. "Well look who's sober and finally learned how to open a door!" Blaise shouted, clapping his hands together twice before standing up and clapping Draco on the back. Draco winces and sets his nastiest glare he could muster in this state on Blaise. "If you'd be nice to me I might give you a potion to get rid of your hangover." Blaise smirked as Draco tried to from a sweet smile but winces when Blaise started to laugh.

"Give me the damn potion, Zabini," Draco growled out, pointing his wand at Blaise and pushing him up against the wall. "Do you think this is funny? You think you can just come in here and ruin everything I set up?"

"Set up? What were you setting up, Malfoy? A tower of whiskey bottles? I saved you from something that would have ruined your whole life." Blaise pushed Draco off of him and begins clapping really loudly, causing Draco to back off and cast a muffling sound around him.

"My life is already ruined, you know that."

"Because last year sucked? Because you can't change your life around since you are nineteen years old and you have your whole life ahead of you? Oh, I didn't realized life ends before age twenty," Blaise half mocked half yelled at Draco who began to walk away. "I will give you the potion before we leave this afternoon, unless you try to get drunk again."

"I'm not going to that stupid Memorial, we aren't welcome at Hogwarts anymore," Draco snapped as he headed towards the dinning room, expecting a grand breakfast after not having a proper meal in a month.

"Then why do I have two invitations with both our names on it?" Blaise held up the cards for Draco to see, but Draco didn't bother turning around.

"For effect, we are invited, that doesn't mean we are welcome. I'm not going to spend my first night sober with a bunch of people who want me dead," Draco argued, entering the dinning room and taking a seat, allowing Blaise to join him with a groan.

"You have no choice, this little get together the Ministry is making is meant to finally start anew. People are tired of being stuck in this limbo between war and starting over, so they're doing something about it. Whoever doesn't go will be outcasted from the new society, with no connections and no say in what stays and what changes in our society." Blaise talked while he fixed his plate, the invitations laying on the table between him and Draco.

"Do you expect me to believe I would ever have a say about any of the things they plan to do to make their 'perfect world'?"

"No, that's what would happen if someone from the good side didn't go, if you didn't go, if the only free Death Eater from _his_ Inner Circle didn't go, you know what they would all be thinking. Before you know it, the Ministry will be at your doorstep with a warrant to search the Manor for dark objects, then to search the Malfoy vault, and eventually a Ministry worker will show up with legal form stating you need to pay for the injuries you've cost, and-"

"I get it." Draco interrupted, his temper rising at being reminded of what he is forever branded as. "When does the service start?"

"Four O'clock," Blaise answered, a smug look appearing on his face. Draco nods and leaves the table without another word, planning to take a nap until it was time to get ready. "I have your potion," Blaise called after him but Draco didn't turn around. He knew that the pain he was feeling right now was one of his many punishments to come for everything he did in the war. This one was caused by his weakness and he planned on enduring all of it.

Hermione, Ron, Harry, Draco and Blaise spent the day doing practically nothing, the trio roaming Number 12 with little emotion except for the constant fear and worry about going out in public while Draco lay in his room to gather his thoughts to prepare for the Memorial, Blaise stayed in Malfoy Manor's library, avoiding angering Draco anymore than he already had. Soon enough 3:30 was coming around and the five of them started getting ready, all but Blaise postponing leaving, but eventually they had to.

On the invitation, it said to apparate to the gates of Hogwarts, of course what it didn't mention was that upon apparating, Ministry Officials searched you, checked your wand, and made sure you weren't under an Imperius. After making sure you weren't planning on attacking Hogwarts, you were allowed to enter and head towards the Great Hall. When entering at 4:05, Draco and Blaise conceded to what was asked of them, but Draco did not fail to notice that they spent more time checking him than they did Blaise, and that as other's were appearing, they didn't bother to check them while Draco was there. As they finally began walking up towards the castle, back at Grimmauld Place Ron and Harry were trying to calm Hermione down.

"I can't do this," Hermione protested, covering her face in Harry's shoulder while Ron rubbed her back.

"Yes you can, 'mione, we'll be with you the whole way," Ron comforted, glancing at Harry.

"Hermione," said Harry seriously , pulling Hermione away from him and look at her face. "We can't stay in here forever, sooner or later we have to go back to real life."

"We can't hide forever," Ron added, taking Hermione's hand and pulling her to her feet, "Now lets gather our Gryffindor Bravery and go back to Hogwarts." He nods to Harry who brings out his wand, takes Hermione's other hand and Disapparates.

When they land outside the gates, Hermione stumbles a bit but Ron and Harry stabilize her before people notice them. The Ministry Officials meet them first, giving their thanks and excessive apologies for having to check them, but the security check was short and before long the trio was heading up towards the castle. Before heading too far down the road, Harry stopped and smirked at the other two, motioning towards one of the secret passageways the Weasley Twins said Flitch knew about and led to the corridor next to the Great Hall. When Hermione saw it, she didn't hesitate to dash down it to avoid the crowds of people coming in.

"We'll have to talk to them at some point," Ron mentioned as they got half way down the passageway.

Hermione gave him a dirty look and remarked "Yes, and that point isn't right now." Ron gave her a sheepish smile before continuing on.

By this time, Draco and Blaise had reached the Great Hall and were impressed by the decorations chosen, everything was white except for the black table cloths and every sign of house color had vanished, including the hourglasses where students could check their House's standing for the House Cup compared to the other Houses. There were rumors about the new Headmistress wanting to promote more House Unity than Dumbledore had, and the decorations proved those to be true. The only thing that didn't show House Unity was the invitees, the war survivors that were split in two, with all the Slytherins on one side and everyone else on the other.

"Oh look at that, what a perfect representation of house discrimination," Draco muttered under his breath, heading for the side he wouldn't get as many glares from, but Blaise had another idea.

"If you don't like it, then don't join it," Blaise rhymed, heading towards a table with two empty chairs, a table with a mixture of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. When they sat down, Blaise grinned at all the others, but Draco refused to look up as he glared down at his lap. "Good evening," Blaise politely said.

Suddenly, the sound of a chair being pushed back sounded through the whole Hall as Padma Patil stood up roughly and began to stomp away before, "Scared of a couple snakes, Padma?" Draco drawled, not even looking up but he did hear her gasp and Blaise snicker as the others at the table draw in a breath. Padma turned to face Draco, opening her mouth to speak, but suddenly the Hall filled with applause.

The occupants of the table turned to the entrance and began clapping too when they caught sight of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, standing in the doorway. A few people stood up to applaud, including Blaise, but Draco remained seated. Harry and Ron both wore black dress robes while Hermione was wearing a dark purple, flowing dress that went down to her ankles and was off the shoulder. Ron was smiling, Harry was staring at the crowd with a shocked expression, but Hermione was staring out at the crowd. It was obvious she hadn't willingly come to the Memorial Service.

The Golden Trio walked into the room as the applause died down, walking up to their assigned seats at the High Table with Headmistress McGonagall, Minister Shacklebolt, and other especially important people that feel the need to bring more attention to the trio then necessary.

Draco turned in his seat as the other three do take their seats, curiously watching as they greet the occupants of their table. Everyone at the table shook hands with the three of them, except for McGonagall who took one look at Hermione and pulled the young woman towards her, giving her a comforting hug and whispering something in her ear. When Hermione steps out of the embrace, she smiles at her former teacher but even from this distance Draco knows it doesn't reach her eyes. He decided to look away when the boys flank her sides again and carefully help her into her seat, taking a the seat on either side of her. As people continued to filter in, and some approached the High Table, Draco went from glaring at the table or Blaise, or watching the Golden Trio try to interact with people. Though Harry and Ron occasionally stood up to greet people that came up to speak to them, Hermione stayed seated, talking when spoken to and paying the polite amount of attention. Finally, when the Headmistress stood up to give her speech, Hermione seemed to relax a little as she went from leaning on Harry to leaning on Ron, who sat up straight to be her support. If Draco hadn't grown up along with those three he might disapprove of how close the three of them were or how they were always touching each other, but he had grown up with them and he had been in war with them. He knew that the touches and the closeness wasn't in anyway sexual, instead each touch was meant to give the other strength.

"Welcome, all of you, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding," McGonagall smiles at the guests, but drops it after a second. "I know this school doesn't symbolize education for many of you, perhaps any of you. It symbolizes pain, loss, war, and sacrifice." She pauses and looks towards the Golden Trio, who, except Harry, meet her stare. "War is hard. Some of you know that more than others, and all of us bore different troubles during this past war. These troubles feel as if they always stick to us, haunting our every move, always reminding us of what regrets we made in the war, trying to persuade us that we could have done more." She had begun leaning forward as she spoke so, at her next pause, she leaned back and looked around the crowd. "What would you have done differently? Its a question I have found myself asking often this past month, and each day I come up with another answer. But each day I have woken up. Each day I have had the freedom to do as I please. Each day I have been able to speak to my friends, my colleagues, and my students whenever I please no matter their blood status. Each day for the past month, I have been rebuilding this magnificent castle and getting rid of all the the scars the war tried to leave on it. Despite any decisions I regret, I am still alive, my loved ones are safe, and I have the power to make the most of this second chance." McGonagall takes a deep breath before continuing. "That's what this is all about. I have invited you all here tonight, not to bring up bad memories that might trigger unwanted responses, but to begin taking advantage of this second chance given to all of us. Our physical world has healed, and now it is waiting for us to start living again. That is what I want Hogwarts to symbolize to all of us. A new beginning, a second chance. Our journeys all began in this very hall, I can look out into this room and remember calling out each of your names," There is a collective murmur of chuckling at this before they fall back into silence. "So there is no reason that all of us can't begin again, starting tonight in this room." She takes a step back and smiles. "So please, enjoy yourselves tonight, remember those who've fallen with a smile, and think ahead to the future we will shape together." McGonagall bows and when the applause begin she raises her glass to toast all of them, the famous Hogwarts food appears at every table.

The Great Hall fills with chatter, the atmosphere turning from melancholy to nostalgic as friends greet each other and try to heed the Headmistresses advice and talk about the good times spent in this room. At the High Table, McGonagall tries to lull the Golden Trio into a conversation, asking about future plans and recalling to them what she was thinking when she called up each of their names back in their first year, trying anything to see a trace of the innocent children she had taught. "Miss Granger, you were the first out of the three of course, and the only one I didn't have prior knowledge about. I'll admit every year I try to guess which house the first years will be sorted into and who they will end up befriending. Mr Potter and Mr Weasley were destined to be friends because of their parents cooperation in the first world, but I knew when I heard you speak you'd befriend the boys and keep them in check as best a humanly possible." Ron and Harry chuckle at this, Hermione manages a grateful smile.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I don't believe they ever listened to me when it came to keeping out of trouble. More often than not it was all my knowledge I continued to talk about in the first few years that got them into further trouble," Hermione said just above a whisper and with hesitation laced in her voice, she kept her eyes steady on her former professor until the end when she glanced at Harry and Ron who had started to laugh at her confession.

"What about me, Professor?" Harry asked after he had calmed down, the smile from what Hermione said still on his face. "You were the least surprised to see me in my first year, and probably the only one that didn't comment on my past. What were your thoughts when you read off my name?"

McGonagall shrugged and admitted "I was interested to see how you acted, whether you acted more like your father or mother. More than anything, I was only thinking that I hoped your friendship with Mr Weasley didn't lead you and to join forces with Fred and George Weasley and wreck Havoc on the school like your father and Sirius had."

The words were meant to be light and make Harry chuckle also, but at the mention of Sirius and Fred, both boys lost all traces of humor and moved slightly closer to Hermione. As the only one not to have a family member die in the war, she took care of the boys when the thought of Fred, Sirius, and Lupin came up, and at the moment she squeezed their hands in support and tried to sit up straighter to let them know she'd be strong for them.

"Stop looking at them," Blaise hissed in Draco's ear on the other side of the hall, who had been curiously watching the shift in strength pass from the boys in the trio to Hermione Granger, breaking Draco's train of thought and causing Draco to whip around and glare at Blaise who reached forward and took a sip of his wine, the wine he had taken from Draco a few minutes before. "I don't know what you find so interesting about that table but if people notice you staring at the Golden Trio they are going to begin to be more defensive towards us than they already are." Blaise said under his breath barely audible and so that no one at the table would be able to see his mouth moving.

"They don't need a reason," Draco replied, but he didn't turn to look at the table until after he had eaten, keeping a quiet conversation with Blaise who had given up trying to bring the rest of the table into conversation and had accepted the discrimination with his head held high. "Why don't we move to where Nott and Greengrass are sitting?"

"No, I will not succumb to this damn pressure. I can sit where I please. Screw the other damn prejudice houses." Blaise said this a bit louder than the rest of their conversation had been and they got a couple death stares.

"That's rich coming from you, Zabini." Draco's anger grew from the words, and even more when he saw who they were coming from. "Whats even more unbelievable was that you two Death Eaters were invited here," Zacharias Smith sneered at the two former Death Eaters. Draco stood up from his chair in a flash, Blaise failing to grab him before he could face Zacharias.

"What I want to know is why you are here, Smith, because I seem to remember a certain Hufflepuff that pushed first years out of the way in order to flee the castle before the fighting even started." Draco smirked as Zacharias's face flushed at the mention of his cowardice. "If you want to insult a couple of Slytherins, do it properly, and don't do it at a Memorial Service you weren't even invited to." Draco holds his hand up when he sees Zacharias about to interrupt him. "I had an actual invitation, Smith, I know you can bring a guest. Those of us who actually fought in the war are more observant than those who didn't, so why don't you run back to your date before Mrs Abbott comes and fetches you." With that, Draco turned in a dismissive manner, nodding to the other occupants of the table that had been watching closely. He turned to Blaise and said, "I think I'm going to stretch my legs before the next speech about being happy, giddy first years again begins," Draco told Blaise, who stood up to go with him. Though he felt bitter for being watched all night long, he didn't tell Blaise to go away because the temptation to drink to get rid of the anger he felt towards all the glares he was receiving had grown, along with the hangover headache.

They headed towards the left side of the Great Hall where all of the Slytherins from their year that fought for the Light Side or switched before the end of the war were seated at one table, because there was only a table full of them. There was only two Slytherins from previous years at the Memorial Service, and that was Adrian Pucey and Terence Higgs who sat at the table with the rest of the snakes. As Blaise and Draco approached, they received polite hello's and offers of chairs, but the offers were turned down and the two men stood around the table, their backs to the wall and eyes moving around the table and then the room. The table of Slytherins included Tracey Davis, Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Adrian Pucey, and Terence Higgs; and now Draco and Blaise who made an unspoken decision and pulled up extra seats and joined the small group of Slytherins, Blaise threw away his goal of beating the discrimination and accepted the seemingly inevitable.

"How's life going, Nott?" Blaise asked, him and Daphne Greengrass the only ones not glaring at the table and wondering why they came.

"It's going," replied Theodore. He ran a hand through his brown hair that was the longest out of all the men at the table but still shorter than the oldest Weasley son that had shaggy hair to match his werewolf scar. All the men at the table were wearing similar black robes to the rest of the hall but except for Terence they were expensive robes their mother's had picked out years before. Terence was the only half-blood of the group and had bought his robes with his wizard father the week before, the first outing his father had done since the death of his mother in the war. "How about you, Malfoy?"

The table turn to stare down Malfoy at the question, several other questions for him hanging in the air that he doesn't address. The story of his parents had been in the paper two weeks before, sharing the front page with the Lestrange family who's last members with the name had killed each other in Azkaban. The loss of Rodolphus and Radolphus Lestrange wasn't talked about by anyone or was cared about by anyone and neither was the punishments given to Draco's parents, except by these five Slytherins.

"Same as the rest of you," Draco answered, meeting all of their eyes with a steady expression, trying to convey his thoughts without saying them.

"Yeah, lonely and only a step above Azkaban," muttered Tracey to her lap, but they all still heard her, Daphne looked around to see if anyone else had but no one was paying them any attention. Daphne tries to make Tracey feel better but Adrian makes her stop.

"There is no reason to try to make her feel better if she is gonna pout about being treated bad by the Griffin-dorks," Adrian said, setting his stare on Tracey who glared at him. "Get use to it, if you don't want to deal with it, then move or kill one of them and go hangout with my father in Azkaban," Adrain had hissed at her, making her back down because, even though Adrian was one of the only Slytherin Quidditch players that didn't commit as many fouls as everyone else, he still had graduated before the rest of them and the only one whose father had been in both Wizarding Wars and been to Azkaban twice, him and Draco.

"Back off, Pucey," Draco defended Tracey, nodding to Tracey who opened her mouth to say thank you. "Don't thank me, I agree with him. Don't complain about life when McGonagall was right and you should be grateful you aren't dead or in Azkaban."

They stopped talking for a few minutes, some of them looking around the room, and other's looking down at their laps, refusing to meet the glares of other's in the room like Blaise and Adrian were. None of them really knew what they we're suppose to talk to each other about, they had all been in school together, but none of them in each other's groups. Terrence tended to hang out with Hufflepuffs because some of his housemates didn't approve of his blood status, and when his best friend Cedric Diggory died in the Triwizard Tournament he became an outcast, who hated Harry Potter but hated Voldemort more. Daphne hung out with Pansy, but stayed away from Draco because Crabbe always flirted with her. While Tracey hung out with Daphne and Pansy in their shared dormitory, she spent the rest of her time with Millicent Bulstrode, until Millicent joined her mother as a Death Eater, which is why Tracey isn't in Azkaban and Millicent is. Draco, Blaise, and Theodore shared a dormitory with each other, but Theodore was never one to join specific groups, but float between Draco's, Blaise's, and the girl's. Blaise hung out with the students in the year above him until his last year when they had all graduated and he had to watch his own back from the Gryffindor's that tended to hex Slytherin's whenever they thought they wouldn't get caught. Adrian and Terrence were in different years, Terrence being the oldest who graduated the year before Draco replaced him as Slytherin Seeker.

They never had to interact with each other in school except when their parents told them to for social gain, but now they were the only ones left. It was either make friends with each other or be an outcast by yourself, so as Slytherin's they took the choice that would benefit them the most in the long run.

"Draco," Daphne said after a few minutes, he looks up from his lap and raised an eyebrow. "Now that the Lestrange Family died out, won't you get all of the inheritance since your aunt was one?"

Draco thought about it for a minute and looked at Blaise to see if he knew who only shrugged. "Perhaps, but I don't need it, nor want it. I'm sure before they allow me to take it the Ministry will go through all of the bank accounts and take out whatever they claim as illegal."

"So all of it?" Terrence joked, and Draco chuckled.

"Most of it is illegal, but all of it is illegal to the Ministry of course." That made the rest of the table laugh. "Whatever they do give me, I'll probably just put it away for the future or donate to make people get off my back."

"I'll take it," Terrence joked, but Draco shrugged.

"You can have it, I'll tell the Ministry when they come knocking." Terrence stared at Draco, trying to decipher if he was being sarcastic or not, but Draco was serious.

"Wow, Malfoy, I know who I'll be going to if I become bankrupt," Blaise laughed out when Terrence stuttered out a thank you.

"Like the Zabini's need any money." Tracey had rolled her eyes at the thought, causing Daphne to chuckle. "Malfoy's just helping Terrence out to flaunt his money."

"If I wanted to flaunt my money, I would have come in one of my father's suits that has diamonds on it. I am simply helping out a friend, Davis, and if you want support in the future I suggest you don't insult me again." Draco had glared at Tracey as he spoke, but got rid of the rest of his emotions as he felt the occupants of the table stare at him, slowly realizing what his plan was, and all of them deciding to follow his lead.

They might have been outcasted by the society they had decided to help save, but they wouldn't let each other feel alone. The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws could unite together, but that will just give them more reason for the Slytherins to bind tighter connections with each other. They no longer needed to feel alone and bear the pain alone, if the Golden Trio was going to flaunt the way they support each other, they Slytherins can support each other in the ways they know how: defending, money, and teasing.

"Good Evening," Kingsley's said, looking out around the room, settling his eyes on each table for half a second, even the Slytherin table which he gave a nod to. "Any words I say about the pain you are feeling is an understatement." Kingsley began.

"I've been in a lot battles that lasted much longer than the Battle of Hogwarts as a retired Auror and a veteran of two wars, but never have I seen a group of students fight the way so many of you did, many of you not even out of school yet or hadn't attended their last year of school. Not only did the children fight bravely, but all of the adults also, who despite knowing what could happen in war better than the children, still chose to fight. The freedom we get to experience is due to all of you, and I want to say thank you, and applaud all of you." Kingsley began applauding on his own, but then the rest of the High Table joined him and slowly the rest of the Hall was clapping along with them. Kingsley waited for everyone to calm down before he started again. "Not only did all of you fight bravely, but those that made the ultimate sacrifice did also." The Great Hall fell into silence as memories of those who have fallen surfaced, many people reached for their drinks, leaned on their friends, tried to tune out the world, and some bowed their heads to cover the tears forming in the corner of their eyes. "It's hard to talk about those that we have lost so soon after loosing them. I'm not ignorant enough to tell you the pain goes away, but I believe it becomes bearable, perhaps even something we can live with, but we have to start living. We didn't die, by some miracle we survived and won the war and we have to live to remember those who died. None of us want the fallen to be forgotten, we have to remember them! They deserved to be remembered and not just mourned over." His voice had been growing steadily louder as the emotions got to him, images of his friends and fellow Order members flashing in his mind as he spoke so fiercely to the crowd. He took a deep breath to calm his heart beat, closing his eyes before looking out at the crowd of veterans. "They didn't deserve to die, they were too good, too young, and it was all too soon. They deserved to be here with us, and for this to be a celebration instead of a Memorial Service, and I will always wish they were back with me until I am reunited with them." He had to take another second to calm down, and Harry watched the Minister struggle to bring forth strength to continue, so he did the only thing he thought would help.

"Expecto Patronum," Harry whispered without anyone but Hermione and Ron hearing him. They watched as the stag stood behind Kingsley, out of sight of the crowd except for the High Table. It disappeared after a moment, but it was long enough that Kingsley was able to find happy memories to get strength off of and continue.

"But this is a Memorial Service, and we will be remembering the dead tonight. Remembering more than just the fact that they are gone and more than there contribution to the war. They are more than their death. We will remember, and continue to remember, that they lived." Kingsley said the last sentence so strongly and with such force behind each word that many people gave him a standing ovation as he left the podium.

As the applause echoed away, the room fell to silence as everyone stared at the Golden Trio, who weren't making a move towards the podium that was waiting for them. Hermione had gone pale while Ron was looking down and shaking his head, fully prepared to bolt out of the room if the others were willing to follow him. Harry, always ready to face his fear head on, was the first to stand up, offering a hand to Hermione. The room watched as Hermione looked up at Harry, only a few noticing the slight shake of her head before Ron stood up also, her hand already in his. Harry took her other hand and together the boys made their way to the podium with Hermione between them. The whole time, Hermione kept her eyes on the floor as she walked, Harry and Ron were ready to give this speech, and for the first time she felt pressured by them instead of comforted. She wanted to crawl in her bed and be alone, her own bed in her own house and deal with the pain by herself for the first time. Harry and Ron looked at her when they reached the podium, their eyes full of concern and support. She realized they were willing to speak and have her just stand there with them if that was what she needed, but she couldn't do that. She had to speak because all the pain she felt from the war and loosing the people she loved was never going to go away if she didn't face it. So when Harry raised an eyebrow in question, she nodded with a smile and turned to face the crowd, gaining more color in her cheeks than she had in weeks.

"We were asked to give a speech, but thankfully no one told us what we had to say, so we would like to acknowledge some of those who died in the war," Harry spoke softly and didn't look out at the crowd, only at the piece of paper Hermione had written last week that had taken days to finish.

"In remembrance of Sirius Black, who fought alongside his friends in both wars, continued to fight for the right side even when everyone believed he wasn't, and who was a good man that was prepared to die for those he loved. He once told me that the ones that love us, never really leave us, and I now know that to be true," Harry shook himself to calm down and handed the list to Hermione until he was calmed down again. Their plan was to do one at a time, but if one of them needed more time they'd manage. In the crowd, all of the Order Members were looking down as they fought back tears.

"In remembrance of Vincent Crabbe," Hermione began looking towards the Slytherin table that had all flinched at the name and tried to hold in the pain. They knew Crabbe would have been in Azkaban with Goyle, but the lost of their childhood friend was still felt. "who was loyal to his friends and ready to stand up against anyone that offended them."

Ron took the paper and took a deep breath, wincing before he had even said the name. "In remembrance of Colin Creevey, who despite his young age was ready to fight along side of us bravely and who always was ready to snap a picture of the happy moments in school, he did so to remind each of us that there were happy moments, despite the darkness trying to hide them away each year. He was too young and too bright." Ron had to cover his face as he passed the list down to Harry who was composed enough to speak now. The crowd was silent except for the sniffles and a few sobs that couldn't be contained. Dylan Creevey shaking in his seat, a pale face glistening with tear tracks he couldn't even feel through the pain.

"In remembrance of Cedric Diggory," Harry began, but had to stop when more sobs escaped in the hall, he closed his eyes and spoke without having to read what he had wrote. "he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but had all the skills he needed to beat a competition that some died from the actual games and not at the hand of someone manipulating it. He was brave, kind, smart, and cunning, he could have succeeded in any of the houses and after graduation if given the chance." The tears had begun to fall as Harry shoved the paper at Hermione, who took his hand and let him lean on her as she leaned on the podium. The hall was quiet like it had been back in fourth year, Cho Chang joining Dylan in the shaking and sobbing, along with a few graduated Hufflepuffs. Terrence had to look down to hide his emotions that were going out of control, forever grateful to Blaise when he laid a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"In remembrance of Dobby the Elf." Hermione couldn't help but smile at the thought of Dobby, a sad smile with tears falling, but still a smile. "Dobby helped save all of our lives and in doing so ensured the outcome of the war. He was no doubtably Harry's smallest and loudest fan," Harry gave a watery chuckle at what Hermione added. "Dobby, Dobby was a Free Elf," Hermione stuttered over the words, letting Ron rub her back as he took the paper from her.

He sighed at the next name, not having realized he would be the one to read it but knowing he would be able to bear it more than Hermione and Harry. "In remembrance of Albus Dumbledore," there was a long pause before he was able to continue, having to pause to be heard over the sobs escaping the lips of all of the students, teachers, and Order Members. No one was prepared to listen to another remembrance of Dumbledore after attending his funeral and being there moments after his death. The death of their protector was too hard to take. "Professor Dumbledore watched out for all of us and didn't ask for protection in return. He was ready to bear our burdens and his own without a complaint and he continued to watch out for us even after his death despite some of us being angry with him. He was a good headmaster and a great man." There was a lot of nodding in the crowd at his words, no one able to speak and no one needing to add anything. Ron looked down at the next name and hesitated, glancing at Hermione who watched him curiously. He showed her the name and looked to Harry who did not seem ready to read out another name after listening to Ron, especially this name. At the moment, however, Harry looked up and nodded. He knew what name was next, and he wanted to say it, he owed him that much. Ron walked the paper to Harry and stood on the other side of Harry to support him.

Harry took a deep breath, looked at the crowd of distraught wizards and witches and took a deep breath.

"In remembrance of-" Harry choked and it echoed through the hall. He took another deep breath. "In remembrance of Remus Lupin." He sniffled and read each word with a hoarse voice. "who was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher I had, a mistreated man for something he couldn't control, and a wonderful friend and father figure to me. He had just become a father and that's not fair to him or Teddy, he was the last Marauder, and a wonderful man that only spoke illy of one woman who truly deserved it." Hermione and Ron chuckled at the thought of Remus sitting around talking badly about Dolores Umbridge, but the happy thought faded quickly. "Remus was one of the best men I know and he shouldn't have died, but he would never stop fighting for his cause." Harry looked at the floor as the tears fell and handed the paper to Hermione. Hermione wraped an arm around Harry's shoulders as she began to read, trying to raise her voice loud enough so everyone can hear but having trouble raising her eyes up to meet anyone's gaze.

"In remembrance of Tonks Lupin, a young woman, wife, and mother who came to the the battle to fight alongside her husband and stay with him to the very end. She was pure and good, and could make anyone laugh, even in situations like these, I even saw her make Moody laugh once. I once heard that the heavens take the prettiest flowers first, and I think that's true about Tonks." Hermione rushed through that message in the beginning, but slowed down as she talked about Tonks, looking up to try to explain to the crowd how good Tonks was and how she was more than just her death.

"In remembrance of Alastor Moody," Ron spoke, closing his eyes and shaking his head with a little smile on his face due to the next sentence. "He would have wanted us to remind you of constant vigilance." There was few people that laughed at this, but others that stayed quiet as they tried to stay composed, among them was the Minister. "Mad-Eye was a bit mad after all of his time as an auror and after being held captive in his own trap for a year, but he meant well and wanted his friends and pupils to stay safe. He was prepared to give his life to protect Harry and our world, and that's what he did. I am sure he wouldn't have done it any other way, and would be reprimanding us for mourning over him." Ron sniffled and handed the paper to Hermione over Harry, but when Harry saw the next name he took the paper and told this one also. Neither Hermione or Ron could properly give this remembrance, they didn't understand the way Harry did.

"In remembrance of Severus Snape, the bravest man I know." Harry looked towards the Slytherin table as he spoke, trying to meet at least one of their eyes but they all had their heads bowed, forever refusing to let others see them when they are weak. "He was able to trick Voldemort for many years into thinking he was a loyal follower, but actually was following Dumbledore because his heart was on the light side. Love drove all of us in the war, including Professor Snape. Though many of us have a whole in our hearts where he left, I think he is happier where he is now. He didn't deserve death but welcomed it all the same."

The three of them knew what the last name on the list was, as did everyone else in the hall. The table of red heads near the podium were already shaking at the thought of listening to the name being said. George Weasley stared down his younger brother, pleading with him, but not knowing what he was pleading for. He had been lost this past month, and no matter who wanted to help him, the only person who could have helped was gone. He was left all alone and broken in half, never to be whole again. The family wanted their boy back, they hated the world for taking him from them and felt the pain of his lost so completely that the Burrow had been filled with screaming and sobbing for many nights. They fought each other because of their short tempers and George stayed in their room, rocking on his bed while staring at the empty bed across form him. They agreed on one thing though. It wasn't fair. They wanted him back.

Ron knew what George wanted, so he took the paper and placed it on the podium, giving his brother more respect than reading off the words he had made Hermione write for him.

"In.. In rememb-" Ron choked and had to hold on to the podium to stay standing. "He shouldn't have left." Ron whispered, but everyone was still able to hear him. Harry placed a hand on his shoulder while Hermione rubbed his back. "It is the hardest thing I have had to deal with this past month and will continue to cause pain to my family and I for the rest of our lives because Fr- Fred was too great. He had a joke to say at any time and always had a smile on his face even to the very end." Ron choked on his words again and rested his forehead against the podium as the sobs over take him, not capable of continuing the speech.

The crowd averted their eyes from Ron's break down as Hermione helped Harry and Ron back to their seats as quickly as she could. The crowd was silent as she whispered words of encouragement to both boys, reminding them why they made her come and why they wanted to come; why they needed to start the process of healing. Before they reached their seats however, the whole crowd erupted in applause, everyone standing up to applaud the Golden Trio's bravery for standing in front of them and showing their weakness, thanking the three of them for everything they had done, and applauding those they lost, taking another step towards healing.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry turned back towards the crowd, tears still in their eyes but a look of awe on their faces also as they took in all of the support the crowd was giving them. They exchanged glances with each other, Ron wondering if they were expected to bow, while Harry knowing they only had to stand there until the applauding finished, he didn't expect it to last for three minutes however. As everyone clapped and cheered for the three of them, everyone's tears slowly dried and the shaking stopped, their focus on being happy instead of sobbing. The pain was still felt by almost everyone, but it was pushed to the side to allow other emotions to be felt also. It wasn't gone, not even close, but it wasn't taking up center stage anymore.


End file.
